Method of applying patches to woven-wire cloth



April 2, 1946. H, E, BRO N T AL 2,397,646

METHOD OF APPLYING PATCHES To WOVEN WIRE CLOTH Filed Sept. 25, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet l 7 T 6 B J 1 7 -2 L2 .5 11 I 26 M27- z9 M" K INVENTORS. HUGH E. BROWN April 2, 1946. H. E. BROWN EI'AL 3 2 METHOD OF APPLYING PATCHES To WOVEN WIRE CLOTH Filed Sept. 2%, 1945 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. HUGH E.BROWN/ STE RT M. QRANT. %ZZg/ p 1946. H. E. BR-OWN ET AL 2,397,646

METHOD OF APPLYING PATCHES TO WOVEN WIRE CLOTH Filed Sept. 25, 1943 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patente'rl'Apr.

. omen; STATES METHOD OF APPLYING PATCHES T WOVEN- WIRE CLOTH nun E, Brown, Cleveland Heights, and Stewart M. Grant, Bay Village, Ohio, assignors to The W. 8. Tyler Company Application September 25, 1943, No. 503,762

1 Claim. (Q1. 219-) This invention relates as indicated to a method I of applying patches to wovenwire cloth, but has reference more particularly to the application of 'such patches to Fourdrinier wires, cylinder wires and dandy roll covers.

It has heretofore been the practice in applying woven-wire patches to Fourdrlnier cloth, for the purpose of covering cracks in'the cloth, to sew the patches to the cloth by a rather slow and two workers. Moreover, the wire stitching used to secure the patches to the cloth was subjected to wear by the rolls over which the cloth passed,

ing further shut-down of the paper-making equipment and additional repairs. A further obiection to'this practice is that the 'wire used in applying the patches formed bulgy opaque seams and spots, the effect of which became apparent in the paper in the form of undesirable watermarks. The present invention has as its primary obiects the repair of Fourdrinier cloth or other paper making machine wire screen by means of patches which can be easily and quickly applied to the cloth, which when applied become virtually an integral part of the" cloth, and which are so shaped and designed as to resist and tendency of the rolls or the bending of the cloth in passing over rolls to pull them away from the cloth.

in detail certain means and one mode of carryin 5 out the invention, such disclosed means and mode illustrating, however, but one of various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which a patch is applied to a Fourdrinier wire in accordance withthe invention; Figs. 3 and 3 illustrate steps in the application of the preferred form of patch to the wire;

Fig. 4 is a diagram of the induction welding circuit which is employed forapplying such patchestothewire; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the transformer which is employed in. the circuit of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the transformer;

Fi 7 is a view illustrating the manner in which the core of the transformer is built up;

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the hot electrode employed in the circuit of Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 is a view partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section ofthe hot electrode;

Fig. 10 is a top planview of the cold electrode;

Fig. 11 is a. side elevation of the cold electrode;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of a Transite board which may be used in connection with the welding operations;

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but illustrating the application of a patch to one of the edges of a Fourdrinier wire; and so that the threads frequently broke, necessitat l5 Figs. 14, 15 and 16 illustrate other "forms of patches which may be employed.

\ Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 to 12 inclusive of the drawings, it will be seen that a circuit such as has been especially designed for they application of patches to a Fourdrinier wire, in-

vcludes a source of alternating current, which may.

be of 220 or volts, as represented by the lines L and L (Fig. 4), a transformer, which is generally designated by the reference character T. a cold electrode C and a hot electrode H, a switch S, which is provided on the handle of the electrode H for energizing and deenergizing the transformer, through a relay R.

The transformer T consists of a pair of end plates I and 2, between which are secured, as by means of bolts 3 andnuts 4 laminations 6 of transformer iron forming the magnet or core of the transformer. Mounted on the core thus formed is a primary coil 6 and a secondary coil I! preferably formed of wood, having an axial bore in one end for the reception of the conductor wire l3 from the secondary coil, and having secured within its opposite end a brass or the like stud II, which is in electrical contact with thewire l3.

"The stud ll has threadedly secured thereto an axle holder is, preferably formed of aluminum,

and having secured therein, as by means of a set screw it, and element I 1, formed of brass wire and bent to provide a portion i8 extending substantially at right angles to the axle holder, and serving as an 'axle, upon which is rotatably mounted a-carbon wheel 19. The wheel lshas a peripheral surfac 20, which is about 1': of an inch in width, and the wheel is mounted on the 60. axle l8 betweena flange 21 thereof and a brass sage characteristics of the Fourdrinier wire.

washer 22, which is retained against the wheel I! by means oi'a nut 23. A check nut 24 is pro-. vided for determining the position of the axle holder IE on the stud M.

The handle I! has mounted inrthe top thereof 5 a push-button switch 25, which,-thr'ough wires and 21', controls a relay 28, which, in turn, serves to energize or; deenergize the transformer T. I

The cold electrode 0 consists of a heavy disiri0 29 of brass or, the likahavlng a socket to for the reception oi. the terminal iii of the other conductor wire to irom the secondary coil, such terminal being secured within the socket by means of a set screw 32. v r

In applying a patch to a Fourdrinier wire by means of the induction welder which has been described, the patch 33, shown in this instance as of diamond shape, is laid upon the portion of the cloth 34 which has a tear 35 therein (Figs. 1, g 2 and 3), a board 3'6 oi "Transite or other electrically insulative material being employed to support the portion otthe cloth 34 which underlies and surrounds the tear it. g g

The cold electrode 29 is thenlaid upon the 25 l cloth at. a short distance irom the patch 33, and

'I at the carbonwheel, the line of welding is scarcely visible, and .the'openings in the 'wire cloth and patch along such line are left virtually undisturbed, with the result that the patch does not 5 leave or form objectionable water marks or spots in the paper made onthe repaired or patched cloth. In other words, if the patch is made of wire cloth having a mesh which is substantially the same as, or preferably slightly larger or coarser 40 than thatof the Fourdrinier wire, and preferably a smaller wire diameter than that of the Fourdrinier wire, the welding of the patch to the wire will not in any way interfere with the drain- In this connection, expert paper makers have experienced difflculty in locating marks made by patches on Fourdrinier wire which have been aplied by ,the method which has been described, whereas, in wire repaired by sewing a rip in the wire or by sewing a patchto' the wire, the paper became seriously marked in by the areas of the wire which were thus repaired. p

It will be further noted that the patch is of such shape or contour and is applied to the cloth in such a manner that its edges extend angularly to thewarp and shoot wires of the Fourdrinier wire, instead of being parallelto such warp or shoot wires. This avoids lines of weakness which might develop in cases where the edges, of the a patch are parallel with the warp or shoot .wlres of the Fourdrinler wire, and which would tend to produce cracks -in the Fourdrinier wire at the junction of the patch with the wire as the result of repeated'flexing and stressing of the wire and patch in its passage over the rolls over which the Fourdrinler wlre'passes. In other words, the patch of the present invention is so designed and so applied to the Fourdrinienwire as to resist to as great an extent as v possible any tendency of the patch to be pulled or torn from the wire by the stresses and strains to which the patch is subjected and, at the same time, to avoid the formation of lines of weakness along the lines of welding. This same principle is observed "in 7 the application of a patch to the edge of the Fourdrinier wire, as shown in Fig. 13, wherein, it will be seen that the inner edges of the patch extend angularly to the warp'and shoot wires of the Fourdrinier wire.

Instead of using diamond-shaped patches, as described, effects similar to those described in the precedingparagraph may be attained through vthe use of patches having contours such as shown iri Figs. 14, 15 and 16, the arrow, in each case, indicating the direction of movement of the Four- 'drinier wire.

'tends through the wire to the inner or.undersuriace oi the wire Consequently, there is nothing to be abraded by the rolls over which the Fourdrinier wire runs,- andy-thereiore nothing to cause the patch to be eventually tornTaway from the wire. Heretofore, in sewing a patch to the wire or in attaching the patch to the wire by means of pickets which were extended, through the wire and bent to hold the) patch in place, the stitches or pickets eventually became abraded by the passage thereof over the rolls and suction box covers with the result that the patches came off the wire.

Itmay also be noted that the relatively wide surface 20 of -the carbon wheel J9. serves not only to transmit the welding current in a'desired manner, but is effective to hold the patch in posi-' tion as it is being welded to the wire, permitting the-operator, after he has placed the patch in the desired position to weld the patch to the wireby the .use of only onelland the cold electrode rema'ining in position due to its own weight. Inthls manner, patches can be quickly and easily applied to the wire, without removing the wire from its position in the paper-making machine, or shutting down the machine for unduly long periods.

Although the invention has been described particularly with reference to the application of f patches to Fourdrinier wire, it is tobe under- Other modes of applying the principle of our invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the means and the steps herein disclosed provided those stated by the following claim or its equival ent be employed. v

We therefore particularly point out and dis tinctly claim as our invention: The method of repairing a tear or the like in a paper making machine metallic wire 'screen which comprises overlying the portion of said screen surrounding the tear with a metallic wire screen patch; pressing said patch to said machine wire screen along lines extending about said tear and angularly relative to the warp and shoot wires of said machine screen and simultaneously passing current through said pressed portions whereby the wires of the screen patch and the machine wire screen are fused without causing appreciable flowing of the metal thereof. I

'HUGH- E. BROWN. STEWA ART M. GRANT. 

